Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Caramelized Red Onion and Goat Cheese Crostini

Blake and I were at a wedding in Crested Butte a few weekends ago. The food was amazing! In particular the rehearsal dinner had this little appetizer that we all couldn't get enough of. They were perfect little finger foods for nibbling on while enjoying a glass of wine. I think they paired especially well with a hefty glass of red wine! I asked the cocktail waitress what was on the crostini and my guess was almost spot on. Not only caramelized onions, but caramelized red onions which I've never made. The white creamy spread was nothing but my favorite, goat cheese! I have a whole post on Caramelized Onions that will help you folks that have never done it. It's not hard, just takes a little time that is well worth it!

Ingredients:

-1 long loaf French bread

-2 medium red onions

-2 (5.3 ounce) pyramids of spreadable goat cheese (make sure not to get the crumbles)

-1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

-1/8 cup olive oil for brushing, or olive oil spray

-microgreens or fresh thyme sprigs for garnish

-salt and pepper to taste

First, thinly slice your red onions. Heat 2 Tbsp of olive oil or butter over medium-high heat in a large skillet. I used my cast iron.

Once the oil is hot, throw in your red onions and salt and pepper liberally.

Continue to cook your onions until they have cooked down and softened into velvety onions. Need more instruction? Go to my post here on step-by-step instructions and pictures.

Once the onions are pretty much done, add 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar and cook for a couple minutes longer. This will add an extra sweetness and depth to the onions. Remove them from the heat and put in a bowl. Set aside.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Now thinly slice your baguette and place on greased baking sheet (just spray with pam). Using either olive oil spray or a basting brush with olive oil, coat both sides of each crostini. Bake for 15-20 minutes turning them halfway through the cooking time. You want them to get golden and crispy but not burnt! Make sure to watch them closely.

Let the crostinis cool for a few minutes and then spread each one with a thin layer of goat cheese. Using a fork to manage the octopus-like onions, place a little dollop on top of the goat cheese. If you can get micro-greens from your local healthy food store, they are a great garnish! I actually grew some in my kitchen window a few weeks ago so used those. You can also use fresh or dried thyme.

I brought two huge platters to book club last week and they were diminished in minutes!